Finding Autism Early

Jan 15, 2009

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When most parents think of autism, they worry about whether their child is speaking around age 2. But more subtle indicators can show up earlier. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics now says that all babies should be screened for autism at the 18-month and 2-year checkups, and at any other time parents raise a concern or the child has developmental delays.

"Early recognition is crucial because it leads to early intervention," says Scott M. Myers, MD, coauthor of the recent AAP guidelines. If your pediatrician suspects a problem, he should refer you to an early intervention program, an audiologist to test for hearing problems, and a developmental diagnostic team or an expert who specializes in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (such as a developmental pediatrician, child neurologist or child psychiatrist).

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Help discover the cause If you live in Maryland, central North Carolina, Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver or Philadelphia, and have children born between September 2003 and August 2005, they may be eligible for a new Kaiser Permanente and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that will look at genetic and environmental factors linked to autism.